The frontrunner to succeed the late and great Paul O’Grady on the hit ITV show For The Love Of Dogs has been revealed.
Paul O’Grady died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on March 28, 2023, at the age of 67.
The popular presenter rose to fame with his drag queen persona Lily Savage before going on to host a number of TV shows including For The Love of Dogs which first aired in 2012.
With his sad passing, producers have been left with the daunting task of finding a suitable candidate to try and fill his shoes.
This Morning presenter and well-known Big Brother star Alison Hammond is currently the favourite to take over from Paul O’Grady on For The Love Of Dogs.
This comes as other names like In For A Penny’s Stephen Mulhern and comedian Ricky Gervais were revealed as potential replacements.
Ricky ruled himself out last year, telling fans: “It’s true I was asked but I said no, I’m afraid. Just too busy.”
A source close to ITV told The Mirror: “Paul is obviously irreplaceable but they believe that not only does Alison bring some of Paul’s trademark self-deprecating humour to proceedings, but that she can also make it her own, just as Paul did.”
Despite her busy schedule which includes presenting This Morning and The Great British Bake Off, the source says she would be a great addition to the show.
They added: “Alison would be a great signing… and as her ever-expanding portfolio of shows demonstrates, capable of putting her hand to anything.”
Alison Hammond became a popular figure over 20 years ago when she appeared in the third series of Big Brother.
She has now become an integral part of This Morning alongside Dermot O’Leary and is now one of the core presenters.